NEWS

Parsippany woman accused of faking her kidnapping gets PTI

@PeggywrightDR

A Lake Hiawatha woman who was charged with faking her own abduction by locking herself in the trunk of her car at Volunteer’s Park in Parsippany was admitted Wednesday into a special supervision program and must get a psychological evaluation.

Lisette Rivera, 21, was accepted by Superior Court Judge Robert Gilson in Morristown into Morris County’s Pre-Trial Intervention program for first-time, non-violent offenders. Under the PTI terms, Rivera entered a plea of not guilty and will be supervised on probation for 18 months.

She must perform 25 hours of community service, get a mental health evaluation and follow any recommendations for treatment. If she successfully completes the program, charges of making a false public alarm and filing false reports to police on Sept. 22 will be dismissed and she will not have a criminal record.

Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Brian Kenney said that Parsippany police are familiar with Rivera and are not opposed to her admission into PTI because they want her to receive any necessary mental health assistance.

Represented by defense lawyer Elizabeth Martin, Rivera was quiet and calm during the brief proceeding and left the courtroom without comment to start the probation process.

When Rivera was last in court in October, however, she told the Daily Record she was at home watching “Criminal Minds” on television in her bedroom when she was grabbed from behind. She said she was abducted by a man and a woman, forced to drive her Toyota Camry to Volunteer’s Park and lock herself in the trunk unless she wanted to die.

In a news release in October, police said their investigation started around 8:10 p.m. Sept. 22 when they were asked by a third-party to go to Rivera's Calumet Avenue home. They were met there by someone who had been asked to check on Rivera's well-being by an out-of-state resident who received a text message that Rivera had been kidnapped.

Police then got a 911 call from Rivera. They found her inside the trunk at Volunteer's Park. The police release said that video surveillance showed Rivera's car entering the park. It showed her entering and exiting her car a few times before she climbed into the trunk and closed the lid.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@njpressmedia.com